Verizon's LTE operates in the 700 MHz band. The LTE radio waves can travel farther distances and penetrate walls better than the 1900 MHz 3G radio waves.

You will almost certainly get better data service, but it won't help with voice coverage in the short term because (right now) voice traffic passes over the 2G network, which is 850 MHz.

Verizon stated many months ago that they plan to move voice traffic to the LTE network as quickly as they can, and I suspect that will be months away rather than years away. I haven't checked specific models lately, but not all current LTE phones will be capable of using the voice-over-LTE network once the switch is flipped. Do your homework and choose one that will work on the new standard.

I'm asking because at work my iPhone 4S waffles between 3G and 1xRTT. And in certain areas all I'll get is 1xRTT. So I'm wondering if it's just a poor coverage area period for Verizon? Or if I upgrade to a 4G device I'll get a more consistent data coverage?

andy2373 said:I'm asking because at work my iPhone 4S waffles between 3G and 1xRTT. And in certain areas all I'll get is 1xRTT. So I'm wondering if it's just a poor coverage area period for Verizon? Or if I upgrade to a 4G device I'll get a more consistent data coverage?

Ideally, you could find someone who owns an LTE handset and ask them if service works in the areas you care about.

If that's not an option, it is safe to assume that anywhere that actually has deployed, active, company-advertised LTE will have LTE signals that are stronger and more reliable than the 1xRTT signals. HOW MUCH more reliable is an open question. It might only be a trivial improvement if we're talking about an out...(continues)